Monitoring and conditioning in plastic and reconstructive ENT-surgery

Plastic and reconstructive ENT surgery serves for reconstruction of form and function. Frequent indications in ENT surgery are the covering of large tissue defects after tumor operations, firing and/or explosion injuries, accidents, burns or massive infections. A high revision rate of up to 20% in selective patient groups show that more knowledge of both monitoring and ischemia-/reperfusion mechanisms is necessary. Besides improved monitor proceedings biochemical cell procedures in pedicled and free flaps are getting more focused. In the last years certain physical and medical factors appear, which have influence on the long-term surviving of a pedicled or free flap, e.g. pre- and/or postconditioning. The increasing knowledge of changes in perfusion and oxygenation, which prevail in the flap, as well as different options of physical and pharmacological therapies permit a promising view into the future, in order to achieve an improved surviving of a pedicled or free flap in combination with improved monitor proceedings.